by Chris Tucker
Upon arriving at the airport, they were greeted by an unwelcome emptiness. The eerie silence left them thinking over every possible scenario, and while none of them wanted to think the worst, it was lingering in the forefront of their minds.
Vigil pulled the Jeep up under the nose of the jet. Mercer hopped over the side before it came to a full stop and was halfway up the stairs before his partner got out of the truck. Hunt exited the vehicle and joined his two operatives inside the fuselage, but the sight that confronted them was not what any of them expected to witness.
The pilot and copilot were hunched over with gunshot wounds in the back of their heads, and a third man was lying face down near the rear of the cabin. Vigil knelt down beside him to check for a pulse and with a simple shake of his head, confirmed he was dead as well.
Sadness came over the men as the full gravity of the situation was settling in. Hunt felt responsible for the deaths since he was the one who brought them down to Nicaragua. The despondency he felt quickly turned to hate and rage towards the man he knew to be responsible for the travesty.
Various instruments and computer equipment were thrown about the cabin and scattered around. Hunt walked over to the gravimeter display and discovered that all the documents pertaining to the location of the gold were missing.
“Well, boys,” he proclaimed, “It would seem someone else has already beaten us to the punch.”
Mercer became infuriated within and was ready to exact revenge for the murder of his comrades. He was just about to turn and walk towards the exit of the aircraft, when Hunt spoke again. There was a quiet rage in the tone of his voice this time.
“Sean, find Vallejos...then end his life.”
***
Vallejos was being tended to by a doctor while his mind raced. The wound wasn’t as bad as it initially seemed, but the pain was still unbearable at times. He took a swig from a bottle of rum as the doctor finished wrapping up his arm.
“That should take care of it for now,” he said. “Will there be anything else, sir?”
Taking another swig from the bottle in a feeble attempt to ease the pain, he stood up and walked over to the window.
“That will be all. If you see Esperanza on your way out, tell him to report to me at once.”
“Sir, Mr. Esperanza left some time ago. He hasn’t been back since.”
Vallejos turned and looked at the doctor with a puzzled look on his face. “What do you mean he left? When was this?”
“It was right before the explosions started. I don’t think anyone was with him.”
Vallejos dismissed the doctor and turned back to the window. His patience had been tested repeatedly by his head of security over the past few days, but he knew he would have to wait to deal that issue. There was still the pressing matter of millions of dollars’ worth of gold that was keeping his attention at the current point in time.
Unsure of what to think of the information just conveyed to him, he decided it would be best to go and meet Rojas at the site. Once the gold was uncovered and brought back to the compound, he would deal with other matters. He made his way downstairs, where he ordered one of his men to drive him to the site.
Once on their way, his mind began to wander about what he would be able to attain with the large mass of gold. He envisioned himself being an unstoppable force no one could touch, and was positive with that much money on his side, there was no way he could fail.
When they arrived at the trailhead of the site, he told the driver to grab his bag and they departed into the brush to rendezvous with Rojas. As he made his way by some of the other parked vehicles, he took notice of one in particular. It looked like every other truck in his outfit except for one small detail – this one had an insignia sticker on it, displaying it was the personal vehicle of his second in command, Esperanza.
31
The sun was beginning its slow descent beyond the horizon as a bright orange canvas blanketed the sky. The clouds were reflecting the sun’s rays during its departure, creating a spectacle that would normally take one's breath away. However, there would be no time for enjoying the view on this particular day.
As the pickup truck barreled its way down the gravel road, Vigil’s foot remained firmly pressed against the gas pedal as the vehicle was pushed to its maximum capacity. Mercer sat in the back as calm as could be considering the violent movement of his surroundings. Hunt, on the other hand, sat up front in the cab, trying to grab ahold of anything to keep his body from thrashing about.
Vigil looked over in his direction. “You look a little pale over there, Colonel. You alright?”
“I will be. We can swing by on the way back and grab my lower intestine. I think it flew out about a half mile back.”
“Aw, come on. My driving’s not that bad. Sean doesn’t seem to be bothered by it.”
“That’s because he’s just as crazy as you are. Now slow down before you put any more of my organs out of place.”
Vigil eased off the gas just enough to make his employer feel at ease, but his foot continued to put a slight amount of pressure on the pedal in order to try and maintain his current speed without being too obvious.
Mercer decided on heading back to the decoy site to gather up the remaining explosives and weaponry left behind when they left to rescue Hunt. From there, they would make the trek to the coordinates mapped out by the laser gravimeter on board the NESA jet, but since all documents were either destroyed or confiscated, they would have to rely on other measures to lead them to it. He was well aware of the fact that Vallejos and his men now knew the exact location of the gold, but it was the resistance of the cartel that would pose the biggest problem from this point on.
It took about twenty minutes to make the trip into the thick brush to get to their gear. Hunt stayed behind with the vehicle while Mercer and Vigil made the hike to the decoy site. Upon arrival, they immediately packed all their belongings and headed back to the truck, where they found their employer sitting idly with an impatient look on his face.
“I’m almost twice your age and I could have made that trip in half the time,” he commented.
“I wish you would’ve said that earlier,” Vigil quipped. “I could have stayed back and taken a catnap.”
“You two just crack me up,” said Mercer, interrupting the friendly banter.
Hunt couldn’t resist the urge to take another good-hearted poke at his men. “Well, I would say we should go, but since I didn’t know how long you two would be, I ordered a pizza for delivery.”
Vigil threw his pack in the back of the pickup. “Taking a crack at me for being slow is one thing. But then you go and dangle pizza in front of me after the slop we ate in that dungeon? That’s just outright cruel.”
“If you two are done,” Mercer again interrupted, “We still have pressing matters to attend to other than Pat’s insatiable appetite.”
They loaded back into the pickup, and with Mercer in the back and out of earshot, Vigil turned to Hunt.
“When this is all over, you’re taking me out for an all you can eat pizza buffet.”
Hunt, who had regained his serious composure, kept his eyes straight ahead, never looking over to respond.
“When this is all over, you’ll be able to afford your own pizzeria. Let’s take care of these thugs once and for all and get back home. What do ya say?”
There was no response necessary. They all knew what was to come in the next few hours. Vigil smiled and let out a chuckle as he put the truck in gear and drove off down the road. The bright orange canvas of the sky had now turned to a dark shade of grey as the twinkling stars of the night sky began making their appearance.
***
Vallejos could barely feel the pain in his arm anymore, due in large part to the rum he had consumed and the adrenaline of emotions coursing through his veins. His spirits, however, had not been in a lightened state since leaving the side of the road and seeing Esperanza’s truck.
His mind veered off in thou
ght as to what his head of security could be doing here since he had not yet shared the details of Rojas’ findings with anyone. Something didn’t feel right about the situation and he was eager to share his displeasure with his enforcer.
The sun was now gone, but that did little in the way to lighten the blanket of heat still hanging in the air. The air was dense and every sound of the forest could be heard as clear as could be. Off in the near distance, he heard a familiar voice barking orders.
Esperanza was so absorbed in the task at hand, he never heard his employer appear from the brush behind him.
“Kervin, what is the meaning of all this? Where is Geovany?”
Upon hearing the question, Esperanza didn’t immediately turn around.
“Kervin, I asked you a question.”
“I heard you, Andres,” he responded as he turned to face his employer.
“I decided to take it upon myself to begin the dig. As for Geovany…well, he will not be joining us for the remainder of our journey.”
Vallejos had a look of confusion on his face which quickly turned to anger.
“What have you done, Kervin?”
“I have done what I felt was necessary.”
Vallejos became more enraged at the defiance being displayed towards him.
“It is not up to you to decide whether or not to take these matters into your own hands. You seem to have forgotten your place.”
Esperanza stared back at him. There was a smug look on his face that was accompanied by a cunning smile, making his words seem even more direct.
“I have forgotten nothing, Andres. But it would seem that you have. It is I that does your dirty work and it is I that handles matters you are unable to. So now, it is I who will reap the benefits of this find.”
Vallejos was appalled by the blatant disrespect.
“I will have your head for talking to me in such a way. You dare let the actions of these Americans come between us? I never thought they would be your undoing, and I certainly didn’t expect this from you, of all people.”
Esperanza showed no emotion. He didn’t waver from the stance he was taking.
“You should choose your words wisely from this point on, Andres. I no longer work for you. It would be wise for you to leave here and return to the compound unless you would like to share the same fate as Geovany.”
“You would betray me and ruin all we have accomplished over the years? You will pay for this with your life!”
Vallejos angrily barked an order to the men who were digging. “Stop what you are doing and take Mr. Esperanza back to the compound!” He turned his attention back to Esperanza. “You will remain there until I return. Then, I will deal with you myself.”
The men stopped what they were doing to look up at the cartel leader, but made no attempt to follow the order they were just given. This only infuriated him further.
“Did you hear what I just said? You work for me, not him! Take him into custody at once! That is an order!”
The men still made no move to indicate they would be complying. Esperanza now knew he had the upper hand.
“I have grown tired of your words, Andres. These men work for me and they do what I tell them. Your days of running this regime are over.”
Vallejos suddenly became aware he had lost all control of the situation. Walking away would only prove his weakness and validate Esperanza’s actions in front of the men. He knew what his head of security was capable of, but was not going to back down from everything he had built over the last decade.
“Very well, Kervin. If this is the way you would like to play this out, I have no choice but to treat you like the traitor that you are.”
He pulled out the pistol attached to his side and pointed it directly at Esperanza, who still showed no emotion as he stared down the barrel of the gun. Instead, he just smiled and uttered a single statement.
“You are a foolish man, Andres. And you have just signed your own death warrant.”
“You have forced my hand on this matter and I take no pleasure in what I’m about to do. You have served me well over the years, but you have overstepped your boundaries for the last time.”
Cocking the gun, he took aim and prepared to fire the round that would end Esperanza’s life.
32
Mercer took the lead as Vigil and Hunt followed closely behind. They walked past the trucks they knew could only belong to the cartel and decided on taking another route in as to not be detected. Unsure of exactly what size the opposing force would be, they thought it would be best to keep the element of surprise on their side for as long as possible.
The walk through the jungle was made more unbearable by the heat, but nothing would deter them from their mission. Arriving at the coordinates quickly was now the task at hand. From there, the battle to find the gold would play its course.
A few minutes later, they were halted by what appeared to be voices off in the distance. As they drew closer, Mercer was able to distinctly hear two men talking back and forth. When they got within visual range to see who the voices belonged to, it came as no surprise that is was Vallejos and Esperanza.
“Psst,” whispered Vigil.
Mercer looked back and nodded his head up as if to silently ask ‘what?’
Vigil pointed and kept his voice low when he spoke. “Do you think that’s the perimeter security guard?”
Twenty yards away and next to a tree was the lifeless body of a hefty man who seemed a little too overdressed to be out in the jungle. The gaping wound in his chest suggested he had worn out his welcome with whoever ended his life.
“I’ve seen that guy before,” said Hunt. “I remember seeing him back at the compound.”
“Well, we better not disturb him then or he’ll trigger the alarm,” Vigil quipped.
Mercer chuckled as he and his partner shared a laugh. Hunt shook his head and slapped Vigil on the back of the neck, prompting him to get back to the task at hand. Then, he turned to Mercer.
“Can you hear what they’re saying?”
“No. But there appears to be a disagreement of sorts judging by the tone. And there aren’t a lot of other soldiers around. I think we should take advantage of this while we can.”
“It doesn’t make sense.” replied Hunt. “If they know the location of the gold, then why aren’t they out here with the rest of their men? Something isn’t right.”
Vigil commented, “Yeah, but we can take out the backbone of the cartel in one swoop. With those two out of the way, the rest will crumble like a house of cards.”
For a brief moment, they discussed how they would descend upon the unsuspecting soldiers. Once they were ready to deploy, Mercer pulled out a concussion grenade from his pack. He was about to pull the pin when an unexpected twist of events came into play. Vallejos began shouting, and then something happened that surprised the NESA operatives beyond disbelief.
“What the hell is going on?” asked Hunt.
Mercer was unsure of how to answer as he witnessed the cartel leader pull out a pistol and point it directly at Esperanza.
“This is odd,” he replied.
There was silence as they remained crouched with their eyes fixated on the situation unraveling before them. Vigil finally broke the silence.
“I hope he doesn’t shoot him. I’ve been looking forward to taking that thug out myself.”
“Well, if he does shoot him,” responded Mercer, “That’s just one less we have to dispose of ourselves.”
There were a few more words spoken between the two cartel members. Hunt saw this as the opportunity they had been waiting for.
“Sean, throw the grenade and let’s catch them off guard.”
Mercer needed no further encouraging. The window for a surprise attack would close in a short matter of time and they would lose the upper hand. The grenade was launched and they readied themselves for the attack.
***
The blast achieved the desired effect, as the expelled fragments of the
grenade took out some of its intended targets. The soldiers in the dig area were the ones most affected by the blast, as Vallejos and Esperanza were shielded by trees and other bodies between them and the flying fragments.
Vallejos tried to take in his surroundings before making a decision on what course of action to take, but was thrown off guard again as he heard gunfire echoing through the forest. He turned back to get a visual on Esperanza, who had since taken cover behind a tree.
Unable to get a clear shot on the man who had betrayed him, he scanned the area and identified three men he knew all too well coming directly towards him. Seeing no way out of the situation with only one handgun in his possession, he decided to try and make an escape. He saw an opportunity to take off into the trees and ran as fast as his legs would carry him.
“Sean,” Vigil called out. “There goes Vallejos. Ten o’clock.”
“I’ve got him. Give me some cover fire.”
Vigil laid down enough gunfire to ensure his friend could chase down Vallejos unscathed. Once his partner was clear, he and Hunt set their sights on the remaining soldiers. With only a few left, and most of them injured in one way or another, Hunt knew he could keep them corralled.
“I’ve got these guys, Pat. Go and find Esperanza.”
Vigil took off to where he last saw his adversary. Keeping his weapon aimed, he slowly crept towards Esperanza’s position. He wouldn’t need to look for long, as he was greeted by the giant man who seemed to be in a welcoming stance.
Esperanza was holding something in his hand that Vigil was unable to identify right away. He finally held up the object, revealing it to be the port log which was once in the possession of Anthony Mendoza.
“This little book has created quite a bit of commotion,” stated Esperanza.